The narrative of women in sports often finds itself relegated to the sidelines. It is our mission to change that, to amplify their accomplishments and to weave a tapestry of stories that inspire and empower. Our weekly column Latin Women in Sports seeks to applaud their accomplishments, break down barriers, and champion the idea that in sports, as in life, every voice deserves to be heard.
ALABAMA - Diana Flores' life changed completely on July 14, 2022, when she guided her country to a gold medal at the 2022 Flag Football World Games in Birmingham, Alabama.
She never dreamed of what followed after. "For a Mexican girl who fell in love with a very American sport at the age of 8, I never imagined that all of this could even be a possibility for me," she said in an interview with the Associated Press.
An NFL ambassador, the main protagonist of a Super Bowl ad, a deal with Under Armour, offensive coordinator at the Pro Bowl games, and plenty more...that's some of what Flores has got going on at the moment.
"Everyone understood that the impact of that gold medal was much bigger than ourselves. We knew we were fighting for something bigger, for all the young girls that stand behind us," she said in an interview with the NFL.
After winning the flag football gold medal at the World Games, Flores appeared in the Super Bowl LVII commercial "Run With It," an Emmy-award winning spot where she is running away and dodging people that try to take her flag, symbolizing the critical role women are playing in growing the sport but also the obstacles they find along the way.
"'Run With It' was a historic moment for the NFL, as we took our biggest platform of the year to feature not just flag football, but specifically how women are changing the game and inspiring generations of athletes to come," said Marissa Solis, NFL SVP of Global Brand and Consumer Marketing. This opportunity offered Flores a chance to meet some of her idols growing up, as she served as offensive coordinator for last year's Pro Bowl games and worked alongside former players such as Peyton Manning and Ray Lewis.
Flores also got the chance to meet tennis and women in sports' icon Billie Jean King, with Flores saying that she had the opportunity to exchange ideas on how to improve opportunities for young girls that want to get immersed into sports.
For a long time now, flag football has been one of the NFL's most important long-term strategies in order to grow the sport worldwide. The efforts finally paid off when the International Olympic Committee approved the addition of flag football to the Olympic program for the games in Los Angeles 2028.
Latin women in sports have benefited greatly of having an ambassador as passionate as Flores is in her quest of breaking down barriers and providing opportunities for girls and young women to practice their favorite sport. With her partnership with athletic gear company Under Armour, Flores will have the opportunity to work along the "Red Pandas," a flag football team from the Ciudad del Refugio Orphanage, in Baja California, Mexico. Through flag football clinics and sorting equipment, Flores' impact goes beyond sports.
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